Rotatable heel construction



2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Aug. 12, 1963 F/GZ.

I nvenlor l/mss 6: CowE/ United States Patent 3,181,254 ROTATABLE HEEL CGNSTRUETKGN James S. Cowen, 7 Denham Court, Abercorn St, Bulawayo, Southern Rhodesia Filed Aug. 12, 1963, Ser. No. 301,578 4 tClaims. (CI. 36-39) This invention relates to heels for fixing to an article of footwear, and, in particular, to heels having a detachable tread section.

An object of the invention is to provide a heel for securement to an article of footwear, such as, for example, a boot, shoe or sandal, which heel may be restored to its original unworn condition by the owner of the footwear without the necessity for expensive repairs to be made.

A further object of the invention is to provide a heel for securement to an article of footwear which will give considerably more wear than an ordinary heel made of the same material before any part of the heel has to be replaced to restore it to its original unworn condition.

According to the invention, there is provided a heel for securement to an article of footwear, comprising a flat upper section to be fixed to the base of an article of footwear, a flat tread section adapted to fit under and cover the upper section, one of said sections being fitted with a central threaded sleeve and the other section being formed with a central aperture to register with the sleeve, and a screw of a length to pass through the aperture and engage in the threaded sleeve to clamp the two sections together when the screw is tightened into the sleeve.

When the heel is in use, wear takes place predominantly at that part of the tread section which is at the tip of the heel, and in order to allow, when the wear has become excessive, the tread portion to be reversed about the screw as an axis to provide a substantially unworn part of the tread section at the tip of the heel and yet preserve the attractive appearance of the heel, the upper and tread heel sections may be of matching oval shape.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the flat upper section is fitted with a central threaded sleeve and the Hat tread section is formed with a central aperture to register with the sleeve, the aperture being countersunk in the tread surface to receive the head of the screw.

In a further embodiment of the invention, the flat tread section is fitted with a central threaded sleeve and the flat upper section is formed with a central aperture to register with the threaded sleeve, the screw being inserted through a hole in the base of the article of footwear when the heel upper section is fixed in position on the article of footwear.

In either embodiment of the invention both the upper section and the tread section may be fitted with a central threaded sleeve, the two sleeves being in registration so that the screw can be screwed through both sleeves to hold the two sections together.

Also, in order to provide firm location of the tread section on the upper section, the upper section may carry two projections on its lower face, one on each side of its central area, the tread section being formed with two recesses on its upper face to receive the two projections on the upper section when the two sections are brought together for assembly.

The invention also comprehends an article of footwear, such as, for example, a shoe, boot or sandal, comprising a heel according to the invention, the heel being secured to the article of footwear with the upper face of its upper section adjacent the heel region of the base of the article of footwear.

In order that the invention may be more clearly understood, some embodiments thereof will now be described,

"ice

by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a plan view of a preferred embodiment of a heel according to the invention secured to the base of a shoe,

FIGURE 2 is a longitudinal sectional elevation on the line IIII of FIGURE 1, showing the parts of the heel exploded,

FIGURE 3 is a transverse sectional elevation on the line III-III of FIGURE 1, again showing the parts exploded.

FIGURE 4 is a transverse sectional elevation of another embodiment of the invention in which the screw is inserted through the base of the shoe, and

FIGURE 5 is a transverse sectional elevation of a further embodiment of the invention in which a cover plate is provided for the tread section of the heel.

In FIGURES 1, 2 and 3 of the drawings, there is shown a preferred embodiment of the heel according to the invention, which comprises a flat upper section 1 and a flat tread section 2, the upper section being fixed at the heel region of the base 3 of the shoe 4 with the upper face 5 of the upper section l in contact with the base 3 of the shoe. The upper section 1 may be secured to the base 3 in any known manner such as, for example, by sticking or nailing.

The flat tread section 2 fits under the upper section 1 and covers the upper section when the heel is assembled, and the two sections are of matching and, in this embodiment identical oval shape as clearly shown in FIGURE 1, so that the assembled heel has a neat and attractive appearance.

The upper section I is fitted with central threaded sleeve 6, and the tread section 1 isformed with a central aperture 7 to register with the sleeve 6, the aperture 7 being provided with a threaded sleeve 8 similar to sleeve 6, and being countersunk at 9 in the tread face It The upper and tread sections are clamped together by a screw 11 of a length to be screwed through the threaded sleeve 8 in the aperture 7 of the tread section to engage in the threaded sleeve 6 in the upper section, the screw being tightened to hold the two sections firmly together and the head of the screw being received in the countersunk part 9 of the aperture 7.

In order to prevent rotation of the tread section 2 with respect to the upper section ll when the shoe 4 is in use, two projections 12 are provided on the lower face 13 of the upper section 1, one projection being on each side of the sleeve 6 which projections are received in two recesses 14 formed in the upper face 15 of the tread section 2, one recess being on each side of the sleeve 3, so that the projections 12 fit into the recesses 14 when the sections Ill and 2 are brought together in assembling the heel, thereby firmly locating the tread section 2 relative to the upper section ll.

As a modification to the heel shown in FIGURES l, 2 and 3, a fiat cover plate the same shape as the tread section and made of a hard-wearing material such as hardened leather or rubber, with a central aperture allowing passage of the head of the screw Ill, may be secured by a suitable adhesive, or by nailing, to the lower face of the tread section.

FIGURE 4 of the drawings shows another embodiment of the invention attached to the base 3 of a shoe 4 and assembled ready for use.

The upper section l is secured to the base 3 of the shoe 4 and is fitted with a central threaded sleeve 6 in an aperture 16. Two projections 12 on the lower face 13 of the upper section are received in two recesses 14 formed in the upper face of the tread section 2. The tread section 2 is fitted with a central threaded sleeve 8 which extends through the greater part of the thickness of the tread section 2 but which is not exposed at the lower face of the tread section, so that the tread section presents a fiat and uninterrupted lower face 10.

The screw 11, which, in assembling the heel, is inserted through a hole 17 in the base 3 of the shoe, is screwed through the sleeve 6 in the upper section 1 and engages with the sleeve 8 in the tread section 2 in contact with the upper section 1 so that when the screw 11 is tightened the two sections are held tightly together and relative rotation of the sections is prevented by engagement of the projections 12 in the recesses 14.

FIGURE shows a further embodiment of the invention which is in most respects similar to that shown in FIGURE 4 but in which the threaded sleeve 8 in the tread section 2 is formed with an annular flange 18 at its lower end, which flange lies in a recess 19 in the lower face of the tread section 2 when the sleeve is fitted into the tread section. A cover plate 20 is provided which is of the same oval shape as the tread section 2 and which is secured by nailing, gluing or other suitable means to the lower face 10 of the tread section to cover the flanged end of the sleeve 8 and provide a flat and uninterrupted tread face.

The materials from which the upper and tread sections may be made include rubber, leather and other suitable materials and it is not necessary for both sections to be made of the same material, the tread section being made, with advantage, from a material selected for its hardwearing properties.

The threaded sleeves are made preferably from a suitable metal, for example brass or an aluminium alloy but alternatively may be made from, for example, a hard plastics material.

Heels for footwear according to the invention may employ alternative forms of construction to those illustrated in the drawings and, in particular, only one of the upper or tread sections may be fitted with a threaded sleeve, the other section then being formed with an aperture to register with the threaded sleeve, so that the screw can be passed through the aperture in the one section and screwed into the sleeve in the other section and tightened to clamp the two sections together.

In use, a heel according to the invention will become worn down particularly around the back edge of the tread section. When the wear at the back edge has become excessive it is necessary only to loosen or remove the central screw 11 so that the tread section can be reversed; as a result of this reversal, the front edge of the heel becomes the new back edge and the worn back edge becomes the front edge. The heel can then be used again until the back edge has worn down for a second time. The tread section, now worn down at both ends, is then detached by removing the central screw and is discarded, a new tread section then being attached by the same so that the heel is restored to its original condition both quickly and easily.

In this way a single tread section gives twice the wear that could be obtained from an ordinary integral heel of the same material but, at the same time provides a firmness of tread which is equal to that of an ordinary heel by virtue of the positive location of the tread section relative to the upper section by the matched projections and recesses and the tight clamping together of the sections which is possible with the central screw engaging in a threaded sleeve.

I claim:

1. A heel for securement to an article of footwear, comprising an upper section adapted to be secured to the heel portion of an article of footwear, said upper section having fiat upper and lower faces, a tread section having a flat upper face adapted to abut against and cover the flat lower face of said upper section, two stud-like projections formed displaced from the center on one of said lower and upper faces of the upper and tread sections respectively, the other of said lower and upper faces having two recesses to receive the two stud-like projections when the two sections are brought into abutting relation, a threaded sleeve fitted into a recess in the center of one of said sections, the other section being formed with a central aperture to register with the sleeve, and a screw of a length to pass through the aperture and threadedly engage in the said sleeve to clamp the two sections together with said stud-like projections in said two recesses when the screw is tightened.

2. A heel according to claim 1, including a flat cover plate of hard wearing material adapted to fit under and cover the tread section.

3. A heel according to claim 1, wherein said upper and tread heel sections are of matching oval shape.

4. An article of footwear including a shoe-like member having a heel portion in combination with a heel secured to said heel portion, said heel comprising an upper section having a fiat upper face secured to said heel portion and a fiat lower face, a tread section having a flat upper face abutting against and covering the flat lower face of said upper section, two stud-like projections formed displaced from the center on one of said abutting fiat faces, the other abutting fiat face having two recesses which receive the two stud-like projections, a threaded sleeve fitted into a recess in the center of one of said sections, the other section being formed with a central aperture registering with the sleeve, and a screw passing through said central aperture and threadedly engaging in said sleeve to clamp the two sections together.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 828,779 8/06 Schroeder 36-39 2,208,260 7/40 Hayden 3639 2,313,368 3/43 Smith 36-39 2,418,896 4/47 Monti 36-39 2,776,502 1/57 Taylor 36-39 JORDAN FRANKLIN, Primary Examiner.

FRANK J. COHEN, Examiner. 

1. A HEEL FOR SECUREMENT TO AN ARTICLE OF FOOTWEAR, COMPRISING AN UPPER SECTION ADAPTED TO BE SECURED TO THE HEEL PORTION OF AN ARTICLE OF FOOTWEAR, SAID UPPER SECTION HAVING FLAT UPPER AND LOWER FACES, A TREAD SECTION HAVING A FLAT UPPER FACE ADAPTED TO ABUT AGAINST AND COVER THE FLAT LOWER FACE OF SAID UPPER SECTION, TWO STUD-LIKE PROJECTIONS FORMED DISPLACED FROM THE CENTER ON ONE OF SAID LOWER AND UPPER FACES OF THE UPPER AND THREAD SECTIONS RESPECTIVELY, THE OTHER OF SAID LOWER AND UPPER FACES HAVING TWO RECESSES TO RECEIVE THE TWO STUD-LIKE PROJECTIONS WHEN THE TWO SECTIONS ARE BROUGHT INTO ABUTTING RELATION, A THREADED SLEEVE FITTED INTO A RECESS IN THE CENTER OF ONE OF SAID SECTIONS, THE OTHER SECTION BEING FORMED WITH A CENTRAL APERTURE TO REGISTER WITH THE SLEEVE, AND SCREW OF A LENGTH TO PASS THROUGH THE APERTURE AND THREADEDLY ENGAGE IN THE SAID SLEEVE TO CLAMP THE TWO SECTIONS TOGETHER WITH SAID STUD-LIKE PROJECTIONS IN SAID TWO RECESSES WHEN THE SCREW IS TIGHTENED. 